A secret Taliban envoy has contacted the American Commander in Afghanistan and has pleaded with the commander not to withdraw their troops from the country. The envoy representing the Afghan Taliban leadership council, or rahbari shura, is based in the Pakistani city of the same name. The envoy has reportedly conveyed greetings from the two top Taliban leaders to the American Commander.

He said that the Taliban could not survive without the substantial aid that the US is giving to Afghanistan and Pakistan. These two countries have been generous enough to divert some of this aid to the Taliban. The Taliban leaders have used the aid to provide employment to a large number of local people by building mansions for their own families and friends in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The remaining funds have been used to acquire brand new weapons from the US and Europe through third parties as these are the most reliable on the market. If these weapons are good enough for the US to use against the Taliban then they are good enough for the Taliban to use against the Allied troops in Afghanistan.

The leaders believe that it is essential to continue the violence to convince their supporters that they still hate America and the Allied countries. Furthermore, the envoy noted that Taliban violence also helps the countries supplying the Allied troops. Without the violence it would be much more difficult for the Allied countries to convince  their populations of  the importance of the Afghanistan war and therefore the continuing presence of their troops in Afghanistan.